Type how long your hair is now and pick the length you want: see where each length falls, from ear to tailbone, and how many months it takes to grow there at the rate Cleveland Clinic gives, with your own trims taken off if you add them.
From 10 in to mid-back length
About 20 months8 in to grow: between 16 and 24 months at the 4 to 6 inches a year Cleveland Clinic gives.
Landmarks from CurlCentric and Dimples Hair; growth rate from Cleveland Clinic and Wolff et al. (Deutsches Ärzteblatt). Checked 2026-09-25.
Quick answer: hair reaches the chin at about 6 to 10 inches, the shoulders at 10 to 12, the armpits at 15 to 16, mid-back at 16 to 18, the waist at 20 to 24, the hips at 26 to 28 and the tailbone at about 30. It grows about 1 cm (⅜ in) a month, so every inch takes about 2½ months: shoulder to mid-back is roughly a year and a half.
How to use it
Measure your hair from the roots at the crown to the ends, pulled straight down (curly hair stretched), and type it in. Tap the length you want, or type one. You get where your hair falls now, the months to your goal, and a month-by-month list. If you trim along the way, open Add your trims: trims take off part of each month’s growth, and the months change more than most people expect.
The chart, and why it gives ranges
Hair length charts are drawn for an average height, and they do not agree to the inch. This one puts two of them side by side, CurlCentric and Dimples Hair, and shows a range where they differ. A goal picked as a landmark aims at the long end of its range, so your hair gets there on either chart. Hairfinder’s landmarks are “average based on a woman of 5 feet 7 inches in height”: a longer neck or torso needs a few inches more.
| Landmark | Inches | Centimetres | Months from 6 in | Charts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ear length | 4 in | 10 cm | already there | CurlCentric |
| Chin length | 6–10 in | 15–25 cm | 10 (8–12) | CurlCentric, Dimples Hair |
| Shoulder length | 10–12 in | 25–30 cm | 15 (12–18) | CurlCentric, Dimples Hair |
| Armpit length | 15–16 in | 38–41 cm | 25 (20–30) | CurlCentric, Dimples Hair |
| Mid-back length | 16–18 in | 41–46 cm | 30 (24–36) | CurlCentric, Dimples Hair |
| Waist length | 20–24 in | 51–61 cm | 46 (36–54) | CurlCentric, Dimples Hair |
| Hip length | 26–28 in | 66–71 cm | 56 (44–66) | CurlCentric, Dimples Hair |
| Tailbone length | 30 in | 76 cm | 61 (48–72) | CurlCentric |
How fast hair grows
“Your hair grows about 1 centimeter per month” (Cleveland Clinic), “about 0.3 mm per day, or 1 cm per month” in a dermatology review. Cleveland Clinic’s hair-growth guide gives “4 to 6 inches per year”, and that band is the range under every answer. Wikipedia reports scalp hair growing anywhere from 0.6 to 3.36 cm a month, more slowly with age. CurlCentric adds that textured hair grows “about a third of an inch per month”, the slow end of the same band.
Worked examples
Shoulder-grazing 10 inches to mid-back: 8 inches to grow, about 20 months (16 to 24).
The same 10 inches to the waist: 14 inches, about 3 years (28 to 42 months). Trim ½ inch every 12 weeks on the way and it becomes about 66 months, because the trims take back almost half of what grows (about 46% at 1 cm a month).
A 4-inch pixie to 10 inches: 6 inches, about 15 months (12 to 18).
Curly hair, wigs and extensions
Curly hair’s length is its stretched length; dry, it looks shorter. CurlCentric: “Looser curls land nearer the 50% figure, and tightly coiled 4C hair often sits past the 70% one”; Dimples Hair: shrinkage “can hide anywhere from 30% to 75% of curly hair’s visible length as it dries”. The landmark is the same when it is straightened. Wigs and extensions are measured differently: “Salon length charts measure hair from the root where it grows, often at the nape. Wig and topper lengths are measured from the crown of the cap to the tip of the longest layer” (Dimples Hair), so a wig of the same inches often falls a little longer.
Common mistakes
- Measuring from the hairline at the forehead. Measure from the crown, where the length hangs from.
- Measuring curly hair dry. Stretch one curl straight: that is the number the chart uses.
- Forgetting the trims. Half an inch every 12 weeks takes off about 46% of the growth at 1 cm a month.
- Expecting the chart to fit to the inch. Height, neck and torso move every landmark; that is why they are ranges.
- Comparing a wig’s length with your own. Wigs are measured from the crown of the cap.
More on Needle Style
Long haircuts for women over 50, long hair over 60, very layered medium hair, medium-length haircuts with layers and bob hairstyles for fine hair.
FAQ
How many inches is shoulder-length hair?
About 10 to 12 inches from the crown: CurlCentric has 10 inches grazing the shoulders, and Dimples Hair puts shoulder length at about 12.
How long does it take hair to grow?
About 1 cm (⅜ in) a month, or 4 to 6 inches a year by Cleveland Clinic’s figures: roughly 2½ months for every inch.
How much does hair grow in a year?
4 to 6 inches, Cleveland Clinic says, and about 4¾ inches at the typical 1 cm a month. It varies from person to person and slows with age.
How long does it take to grow hair 6 inches?
About 15 months at 1 cm a month, between 12 and 18 months across the 4 to 6 inches a year range, and longer if you trim along the way.
How long is waist-length hair?
About 20 to 24 inches from the crown on the two charts here, depending on your height and torso.
Is a wig length the same as a hair length?
Not quite: wigs are measured from the crown of the cap to the longest layer, and salon charts from the root, so a wig of the same inches usually falls a little longer.
Do trims make hair grow faster?
No: a trim takes length off, and in months to a goal every trim counts against you. That is why the calculator lets you add yours.